Sue Dymoke is a resident at the STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA
Established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, the State Library Victoria is Australia’s oldest public library. Its founders created the library as a place for all Victorians to learn, discover and preserve Victoria’s heritage. With a wealth of resources, programs, and events, the library’s vast collection includes more than two million books and 350,000 photographs, manuscripts, maps and newspapers.
Sue is a widely published poet who has lived in Nottingham for over forty years. She regularly leads poetry workshops with young people and adults. In 2021, she developed and led ‘Poetry Place’, a series of Zoom writing workshops for people living in the Sherwood Forest mining region. Photographs from the Inspire digital archive inspired new writing, culminating in an exhibition of poems and images currently touring Nottinghamshire libraries until 2023. Sue’s most recent collection, ‘What They Left Behind’, was published by Shoestring Press.
Sue has worked in Higher Education since 2000 and is an Associate Professor of Education at Nottingham Trent University where her research focuses on creativity and young poets’ writing development. Academic publications include ‘Drafting and Assessing Poetry’ (Sage/Paul Chapman) and edited volumes for Bloomsbury: ‘Making Poetry Matter’ and ‘Making Poetry Happen’.
For more about Sue’s writing and poetry workshops visit http://suedymokepoetry.com.
Leanne Moden is a resident at the F Project.
Based in Warrnambool, the F Project supports contemporary art practices, the professional development of local artists and the delivery of challenging, meaningful arts projects. Named after Sir Fletcher Jones, it’s a key part of the South West Victorian community. The F Project Arts Precinct houses an art gallery with regular exhibitions and a shop showcasing original work from more than 50 local artists.
Leanne is a poet, performer and educator, based in Nottingham. She has performed at WOMAD Festival, Sofar Sounds, and Bestival on the Isle of Wight, as well as the Fourth Wave Feminist Festival, Trinity College Cambridge, and the TEDx WOMEN event at UCL.
Leanne has also been a national semi-finalist at the BBC Edinburgh Fringe Slam, the Hammer and Tongue Poetry Slam, and the Camden Roundhouse Slam. In Summer 2019, she performed her first solo theatre show, ‘Skip, Skip, Skip’, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and her second pamphlet of poetry, ‘Get Over Yourself’ was published with Burning Eye Books in July 2020.
As an educator, Leanne has facilitated writing workshops in a wide variety of settings including schools, care homes, hospitals, libraries and museums. She has worked as writer in residence at The National Justice Museum, the Museum of Cambridge and with Writing East Midlands, and has provided workshops for Creative North Nottingham, Arts Council England, the Nottingham Poetry Festival, the University of Nottingham, and Prima Vista Festival in Estonia.
Jo Weston is a resident at Writers Victoria.
Writers Victoria is the state’s largest organisation supporting Victorian writers. A not-for-profit incorporated association, Writers Victoria’s goals are to nurture a supportive literary culture and provide training and professional resources for writers. Its annual program includes writing workshops, manuscript assessment services, mentorship opportunities, fellowships, ‘The Victorian Writer’ magazine, literary community events and writers’ studios.
Jo is a poet and writer based in Nottingham, with an MA in Creative Writing with Distinction from Nottingham Trent University. Her work was shortlisted in the Bridport Prize 2016, longlisted in the Mslexia Poetry Competition 2017 and in 2019, she was selected in the erbacce-prize to be one of their Featured Poets.
Jo’s poetry, short fiction and travel memoir have been published by Left Lion, Fortunate Traveller, erbacce-press and IOU Theatre, in seven anthologies and a festival guide. Her work has been projected onto the side of a bridge, broadcast on TV and radio, and streamed as part of events such as the Nottingham Poetry Festival, Ashfield Arts Festival and UPBEAT Festival. Recently she read at Derby Poetry Festival as part of their celebrations for the UK’s National Poetry Day and at Gloucester Poetry Festival.
Jo has read for The Nasiona, led creative writing workshops for cancer charities, and was the first Writer-in-Residence at the Maggie’s cancer care Centre in Nottingham. Jo’s debut poetry pamphlet – ‘How not to multitask’ – was published by Wild Pressed Books and her most recent poetry commission, ‘Dayblink’, features in the online exhibition ‘My Three Words’.